epidermal-growth-factor and Chlamydia-Infections

We analyzed 149 women (81 with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and with invasive carcinoma of the cervix and 68--as a control group). The influence of Chlamydia trachomatis (Cht) infection into expression of EGFR, TGF-alpha, Ki 67, HPV 16 and 18 was examined. IS-PCR was used to measure the level of antibodies in the serum. We detected that chlamydial infection may cause cervical hypertrophy in women with and without cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive carcinoma. Infections of both Cht and HPV correlate with high expession of Ki 67 in epithelium. Cht infection also increased the expression of HPV16 in CIN I. These results suggest that Cht infection modifies the activity of viruses. In our research we have confimed that Cht infection increases the expression of EGFR and TGF-alpha. These facts may explain variants other than the HPV-mechanism of cervical carcinogenesis.

Topics: Adult; Antibodies, Bacterial; Carcinoma; Case-Control Studies; Chlamydia Infections; Chlamydia trachomatis; Epidermal Growth Factor; Female; Humans; Ki-67 Antigen; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Papillomaviridae; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Transforming Growth Factor alpha; Uterine Cervical Dysplasia; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms